Forgiveness
by Bob-geko
Summary: To have humanity in a world of violence and death is something that is rare. Itachi finds someone with the quality often overlooked and under appreciated, but he finds her all to late. Will she wait for him or can he wait for her? For my dear friend Envo.


In accordance to our bet I wrote this in dedication to my best friend. She loves this pairing and I only hope that I come close to encapturing the pairing. I love ya!!! I hope you enjoy!!!!

To Ching-Ting with love:

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Forgiveness

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It started with a glance. The movement of the eye from one side to the other was all that it was. It was in that slightest action to take in his brother's teammate. It was not the beginning of a long romance spanning years upon years. Nor was it the start of a heated affair that would take place in the cover of night. It was a small notion in which he saw with clarity what she what she was. In the moment that his eyes met her green ones did he realize what meant to them, to him? She was the humanity that kept both his brother and Naruto grounded.

They had all lost their humanity at such a young age, yet for some reason she still kept it. It had been obvious to him the first time he had seen her from that one small glance. From the determined set of her jaw, obvious in the fact that she would protect the people most precious to her; but also from the weakness of her shoulders, telling him that if given the opportunity she would run away and go back to her home. It was this pattern of contradictions that showed the great gift that so many including herself had overlooked. The complexity and beauty of humanity, the ability to cry, to laugh, to hate without prompt and forgive without question. The beauty of her humanity that people like her teammates, Sasuke and Naruto, lacked made the two of them stronger because of her. She was the one who realized the importance of not only the people around her but also the fact that there was a great importance for her to come back home at the end of a mission.

He stood over her there in the darkened room of the hotel. He knew they were looking for his brother; they would try and bring him back to Konoha with them. Itachi knew they would fail; Sasuke had gone too long, fell too far from the people that had been there for him unquestioningly. It would take time, sacrifice. He slowly traced the line of her jaw with his fingers. Itachi knew she was awake, he could see her eyes dance underneath her eyelids. It was beautiful.

He brushed a stray hair from her forehead wondering in awe at how young she really was. Fifteen was so young yet here she was trying to be something that she wasn't, that if Itachi could have his way she would never become, like him. Standing there Itachi wished that he could tell her the precious gift she held much stronger and more valuable than any blood limit. He wished he could tell anyone about the mystery that was humanity. That here at the end of things he wished he could compress the countless of lives of before and now, the thousands of years, into one conversation. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to her forehead. Itachi felt her body tense and heard her gasp.

As Itachi moved back his eyes locked with emerald ones filled with shock, pain, confusion, anger, and understanding. He wondered for a moment if the humanity that he loved in her would be hindered by what she would ask of her, was this really reason to break such a gift of such a young girl? He smiled softly, a true smile in a long time.

"You must stay with them. Naruto and Sasuke, without changing will you be there, stay by them?"

She stared at him a new array of emotions passing over her face but she nodded her head trustingly and it was beautiful. He guessed that he did not understand the true extent of what he was asking of her. He guessed that she didn't realize how important she was to keep his brother, hell even the loud mouth blonde, grounded and sane so they could live a life that they would be proud and happy of. He leaned down again pressing his lips to hers in a caste kiss. It was his last reach for humanity. Itachi released the kiss and backed away slightly looking at the girl, she was confused but in that moment he saw in her eyes the thing he needed most here when things would come to an end.

Forgiveness.

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The old woman sat on the porch her hair had long lost its vibrancy and unusual color. The cool crisp air of mid September carried the loud giggling from the children next store. The woman grumbled about the neighborhood going down the drain but it was only for the sake of grumbling as a small smile past over her lips. She was no longer a young proud woman, her back was bent over on itself never to straighten on its own and her skin sagged and folded in more places that she cared to think about. But the sacrifice for half off everything on the menu at the Pancake House was well worth it. Despite the delicious strawberry pancakes the woman knew that soon her time was coming to an end.

She thought to her old teammates. Sasuke had died too young, too fresh from coming from darkness and hatred. She had cursed heaven at the time, she had thought that he wasn't ready to go but it was more that she wasn't ready to let him go. She hadn't wanted to let any of them go. Naruto was one of those people. When Sasuke died she saw something inside of Naruto die too, she had been scared that he wouldn't make it to the next day. But he did, he made it to the next day, to the day that he married Ino, to the day that he took the long awaited role as Hokage, to the birth of his children. When he had died two years ago she had waited by his bedside and he confessed that he didn't think he was going to make it to the next day after Sasuke died. He then thanked her saying that he made him realize that there was a home for him; he had other things he needed to do. For the first time in over sixty years she felt at peace with herself. She only wished her old teammate could have lived a bit longer so she could beat him to a pulp for 'apologizing' that he didn't marry her before 'fuzzy brow' could.

A crow landed and bounced at the far end of the porch's railing breaking her from her thoughts. She frowned, her green eyes trying to focus on the bird but it remained blurry. Giving up on trying she looked back to forest line, only to be shocked to see a dark figure that emerged from the shadows. Sakura fumbled for her glasses pushing them into place so to see who had come from the forest. It had been sixty-five years since she had last seen the person's face, but the image was clearer and more familiar than her own. The figure walked across the lawn black cloak billowing behind him reaching the stairs stopping to look up at her.

Her breath stopped short in her chest and she staggered up from her chair moving slowly across the patio in shuffling steps trying not to fall in her hurry. A wrinkled hand in a frenzy hurry reached out and grabbed the post and the old woman leaned on it heavily looking down at the man standing tall and proud not a day older than when she saw him that night sixty five years ago.

"Sakura." Itachi reached out his hand first tracing the sides of her face to drop to her free hand cupping it, "I have been waiting."

Sakura straightened her back; she took a hesitant step down the stairs leaning heavily on the hand gripping hers. Another step she looked up into his dark eyes, she felt stronger. Another step she was almost down he smiled the same one that he had given her that night, open and trusting, that smile had kept with her through all these years. Another step she was on the grass next to him and suddenly he was blurry. He reached up with his hand and carefully pulled the glasses off her face. He dropped the on the ground next to them and leaned in slowly capturing her lips in his in a slow kiss that this time she responded to. They broke and Sakura noticed soft pink strands of hair gently blow in front of her face as a breeze passed by.

Sakura had often wondered what her life would have been like if he hadn't come to see her that night. Wondered what she would do if she had not become so intrigued by a man she would never be able to fully know. Would she had have tried to stay there for Naruto after Sasuke died, to bring him back to loving his country, himself? Would she have loved her husband more if her mind would not have been filled with what-if's of Itachi being alive and well? Confused she reached up and touched the side of his face with her own hand mimicking his earlier actions.

"I would like to try again. I want to start over with you. I want this to be better, to go back for the both of us." He said at length. Sakura looked up at him tears blurring her vision, again she didn't ask any questions she only nodded her head.

A young pink haired girl raced across the grassy lawn giggling as a black haired boy a bit older chased after her a broad smile as bright as the sun on his face. The two hit the bushes of the tree line together causing the broad leaves to rustle loudly at the impact.

"Grandma?" the back screen door creaked open, and a girl around fifteen stepped out her long dark brown hair catching in the wind blowing it into her face. She looked to the old patio chair where she could normally find her grandmother sitting. The old woman looked asleep so she moved on soft feet across the wooden planks to her side.

"Grandma?" the girl whispered again. She reached out and shook the woman's shoulder, "Grandma." She said more firmly. The girl retracted her hand from the woman's shoulder studying the soft smile on the woman's lips. She stepped back turning to go back inside to call her mother when she noticed her grandmother's glasses were lying in the grass in front of the stairs. Making her way slowly down the stairs she gathered them up and was about to turn to go back in when the rustle of leaves caught her attention. She turned back to the forest line and saw the lower bushes rustle as if someone had just gone through them. She waited and listened the wind changed again the cool breeze hitting her face and with it the faint sound of children's laughter.

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hoped ya liked it review and tell me what ya think!!! lots of love


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